Writing Across the Grade Levels

Over the past 12 years, I have had the privilege (and responsibility) of teaching writing to students in Kindergarten, Third, and Fourth. It has been quite the learning curve for me! I don't ever remember hating writing as a child, but I do remember times in college becoming overwhelmed with writing: organizing the content, wording thoughts just right, making clear transitions! Oh, the headaches!!

During my first year of teaching (4th grade) I felt so lost with how to teach writing I literally just put writing to the side. BIG NO-NO!!!!! Less than halfway through the year, a parent commented that her child was not getting a chance to express herself through writing. This parent also happened to be a teacher - I took that comment and decided to do something with it. I signed up for a few different Writing PD's throughout the rest of that year and into the next. My knowledge of writing (stages, process, types, ...) grew and grew! Over the next few years I gained a confidence in how to teach writing to my students, from Kinders learning how to hold a pencil to 3rd graders who had so much they wanted to say but no idea where to start. Now I have a passion for writing and am absolutely THRILLED when a teacher asks me to come support her in establishing Writer's Workshop in her classroom!! <3

Attached below are a few of the resources I recently used with a Kindergarten colleague of mine who was a newbie with the littles. Fourth had been her stomping ground for a few years so she was needing some support in direction on how to effectively teach writing. We began a coaching cycle in March and have been able to meet and model/teach a few different Writer's Workshop lesson together. Although the year is coming to a close, the imprint of this coaching cycle has effected her and her instructional practices from this point forward. I can't wait to pick up again at the start of the year and watch her support and grow her garden of Kinder kiddos!!

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-writing-develops

http://www.ovesc.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Stages%20of%20Writing.pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlbklaME43M3NYQnM/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B24sDUhrwvJlUklJUXBzU1F1cEk/view